Mechanical fan assembly



United States Patent MECHANICAL FAN ASSEMBLY Shelford L. Keene, 517 Wine St., Hampton, Va. 22369, and Richard T. Palmer, deceased, late of Hampton, Va., by Susie B. Sinclair, administratrix, 166 Wine St., Hampton, Va. 22369 Filed May 17, 1966, Ser. No. 551,193 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-269) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A mechanical fan assembly comprising: a U-shaped handle having opposed parallel spring arms; a first lever pivoted to the first arm; a second lever pivoted to the second arm and intermediate the ends of said first lever; a fan pivoted to the end of said first lever, said fan being swingable from an active position above said handle to a storage position between said arms.

This invention relates to a mechanical, manually operated cooling fan assembly, wherein compression and release of opposed, spring-separated members produces oscillation of a folding fan.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an eificient, easily operated, and convenient assembly of the kind indicated, which requires minimum etfort and attention on the part of the user, rather than the tiring arm swinging normally involved in using a conventional fan.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an assembly of the character indicated above, wherein the fan is operated by alternately squeezing toward each other and releasing the normally spaced arms of a spring handle, and the fan, when not in use, is adapted to be pivoted to a stored position between said arms, so as to provide a compact unit.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an assembly of the character indicated above, which is composed of a small number of simple and inexpensive parts, capable of being quickly and easily assembled.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an assembly of the present invention, showing the fan open, and in operative position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the assembly, showing the fan in closed condition, and stored in the handle of the assembly; and,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the assembly, showing the arms of the handle, and associated parts, in spread position, in full lines, and in compressed condition, in phantom lines.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated assembly comprises a U-shaped handle 10, of fiat spring steel, or the equivalent, having a relatively wide semi-circular cross member 12, which merges, at its ends, with opposed and normally parallel spaced first and second arms 14, 16. As shown in FIGURE 1, the arms taper upwardly to and terminate in substantially parallel sided ears 18, the ears 18 being located in substantially the same plane, at right angles to the general vertical plane of the handle 10, by virtue of twisted portions 20. As also shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the first handle arm 14 is longer than, and extends above the second handle arm 16, so that the ear 18, of the first arm 14, is positioned above the car 18 of the second arm 16.

A first flat lever 22 has its lower portion engaged with one side of the ear 18, of the first handle arm 14, and is pivotally secured thereto, as by means of a rivet 24. The first lever 22 extends at an upward and inward angle, relative to the first handle arm 14, and has an upper end portion 26, which, as shown in FIGURE 1, is laterally offset relative to the lower part of the lever, to the side of the arm 14 remote from that engaged by the lower part of the lever 22. The upper portion 26 terminates, at its upper end, in a right angularly bent fiat terminal 28, extending laterally toward and beyond the side of the arm 14 which is engaged by the lower part of the lever 22. In addition, as shown in FIGURE 1, the terminal 28 is disposed at an upward and laterally outwardly extending acute angle relative to the lever 22.

A second fiat lever 30 has its lower end engaged with and pivoted, as indicated at 32, to the same side of the ear 18, of the second handle arm 16, as the first lever is engaged with the ear 18, of the first lever 14, and extends at an inward and upward angle, toward the first lever 22. The second lever 30 is engaged with the adjacent side of the first lever 22, and is pivoted thereto, as indi cated at 34, at a location adjacent to the lower end of the offset upper portion 26 of the first lever 22. With this arrangement, the terminal 28, of the first lever 22, normally occupies a vertical position, as shown in FIG- URE 3, generally parallel to and midway between the arms of this handle 10.

The lateral terminal 28, of the first lever 22, has extending right angles therethrough and extending in a direction away from the first handle arm 14, a headed pin 36, on which a conventional form of folding manual cooling fan 38 is pivotally mounted. The fan 38 includes the usual fiat outer ribs 40, between which are the folds of the conventional fan body 42. The outer ribs 40 and the fan body folds 42 are normally traversed by a pin, which the pin 36 replaces. The pin 36 has a first head 44 which bears against the outer side of the adjacent fan rib 40, and a second head 46, at the outer side of the other fan rib.

With the foregoing arrangement, the fan 38 is free to be manually pivoted from an upstanding, operative position, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, with the fan either open or closed; or when closed, pivoted to a pendant compact storage position, between the arms of the handle 10.

In order to provide for frictional maintenance of the fans position, in any of the above-described positions, a flat outwardly bowed, vertical leaf spring 48 is journailed, at its lower end, on the pin 36, and is compressed between the second head 46, of the pin 36, and the ad jacent fan rib 40, as shown in FIGURE 3, with its upper or free end 50 bearing against the outer surface of the rib.

A stop pin 52 is fixed on and extends laterally from the lower part of the offset upper portion 26, of the first lever 22, which serves as a stop for the lower edge of the second lever 30, as shown in phantom lines, in FIG- URE 3, so as to prevent the levers from over-swinging their extreme displaced positions, relative to their normal positions.

In operation, the fan 38 having been manually rotated into its erect position, from a storage position between the arms of the handle 10, and the fan having been opened, operation of the fan, while holding the handle 10 stationary, is produced by alternately squeezing the handle arms toward each other, and releasing them to spring apart or spaced away from each other.

As shown in phantom lines, in FIGURE 3, squeezing the handle arms together causes the second lever 30 to swing downwardly and toward the first handle arm 14, accompanied by the first lever 22, so that the fan 38 is swung over beyond the first handle arm 14. As the handle arms are then released to return to their normal spread condition, the spreading of the handle arms pushes and pulls the levers 22 and 30, so that the fan 38 is swung back to its normal erect position. Repetition of these actions produces the desired oscillation of the fan for cooling purposes.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanical fan comprising a U-shaped handle having a cross member and opposed normally substantially parallel spaced first and second spring arms extending upwardly therefrom, said arms being tensioned away from each other, a first lever pivoted on the upper end of the first handle arm and normally extending therefrom at an upward and inward angle, a second lever pivoted on the upper end of the second handle arm and normally extending therefrom at an upward and inward angle, means pivoting the upper end of the second lever to the first lever 'at a point intermediate the ends of the first lever, and a folding fan mounted on the upper end of the first lever, wherein said handle arms are flat and have facing sides, said arms having fiat ears on their upper ends, said flat ears being disposed in the same plane with each other, said first and second levers having lower ends engaged with and pivoted on the same one sides of the ears, said first lever having a laterally offset upper portion displaced to the sides of the first handle arm remote from the lower ends of the levers, said 4 upper portion terminating at its upper end in a lateral terminal extending beyond said one sides of the ears, said terminal being disposed at an upward and outward angle relative to said upper portion, said fan being mounted at the side of said terminal remote from the first handle arm.

2. A mechanical fan according to claim 1, in which said terminal normally is in an erect upstanding position midway between the arms of the handle.

3. A mechanical fan according to claim 2, in which said fan comprises outer ribs and a folding fan body disposed between the ribs, said terminal having a lateral pin on its upper end pivotally traversing the fan ribs and the fan body.

LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner. 

